China's Plan to Build World's Tallest Building In 9 Months Is On Hold

Looks like China has hit a snag with its ambitious plans to erect the world's tallest building in nine months. Less than a week after breaking ground, developer Broad Group has halted construction—not because of safety questions, but instead due to a lack of proper paperwork.

Given the short time frame for Sky City, a proposed 220-story tower in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, the delay means the project will miss its original January 2014 deadline. Broad now expects to complete the project a few months later, in April.

"We have obtained the necessary approvals as the project progresses and we've done everything according to the book," a spokeswoman for Broad told the Wall Street Journal, refuting claims that the developer started construction without obtaining approvals. "We didn’t expect certain procedures to take so long." So far, Broad has secured permits to obtain 22 acres of land, "but that's it," a Changsha Urban Planning Department representative told CNN.

In China, fines for illegal construction can reach upwards of 50% of the cost of construction depending on the city, though it is unclear how much Broad will be penalized, if at all. The Sky City project has received a lot of backlash from the public for its short time frame for construction, as well as the developer's lack of experience with a project of this scale.